Teambuilding Preface Introduction to Teambuilding In organizations where there is no teamwork, one and one will always equal the same: two separate ones or one single two. But in organizations which have discovered the pluses of teamwork, one and one adds up to more. Like Or Or Or 2Or 10The clever word for this is “synergy”. It means getting more for your money than what each part costs. Seen in another way, it’s what you get when Brazilians play football, the Berlin Philharmonic plays Beethoven, or your kids give their all in the school’s nativity play. It’s also what you’ll get when you apply the skills of teambuilding to your team at work. Teambuilding means shaping your people into a productive force. It means encouraging them to work co-operatively for and with each other. It means getting them to share, not just “things” but feelings too, such as each other’s successes and each other’s failures. It means letting them grow beyond your control so that they can develop their own special magic. When you transform a group of people from a group of individuals into a winning team, you create something unique and utterly unforgettable. Profile of Author Eric Garner Eric Garner is an experienced management trainer with a knack for bringing the best out of individuals and teams. Eric founded ManageTrainLearn in 1995 as a corporate training company in the UK specialising in the 20 skills that people need for professional and personal success today. Since 2002, as part of KSA Training Ltd, ManageTrainLearn has been a major player in the e-learning market. Eric has a simple mission: to turn ManageTrainLearn into the best company in the world for producing and delivering quality online management products. Profile of ManageTrainLearn ManageTrainLearn is one of the top companies on the Internet for management training products, materials, and resources. Products range from training course plans to online courses, manuals to teambuilder exercises, mobile management apps to one-page skill summaries and a whole lot more. Whether you’re a manager, trainer, or learner, you’ll find just what you need at ManageTrainLearn to skyrocket your professional and personal success. Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1 The Nature of Teams Our lives are made up of belonging to groups. We are raised in families; learn at school in classes; and work alongside others in organisations. Group membership helps us define who we are. Here are some of the key aspects of being in a team. 1.1 What is a Team? One of the best definitions of a team comes from John Adair who likened the individuals in a team to the pieces of a puzzle. “A team is a group in which the jobs and skills of each member fit in with those of others as - to take a very mechanical and static analogy - in a jigsaw puzzle, pieces fit together without distortion and together produce some overall pattern.” (B. Babington Smith, as quoted by John Adair) 1.2 The Origins of Teams The drive to be part of a team seems to be instinctive and probably originated when human beings came down from trees to live on the open plains. The challenges early man faced were problems of scale, for example, in facing a threat from a pride of lions, and problems of complexity, primarily in how to handle a range of environmental threats to find food, shelter, warmth, and safety. Leaving everyone to sort things out for themselves had limitations. The answer was to pool resources and co-ordinate what everyone did. The concept of the tribe was born which in due course evolved into the concept of the team. 1.3 Successful Teams A successful team is one in which the team members not only achieve something special and worthwhile, but feel as if they have participated in something special and worthwhile. Unlike a group,... 1. teams create varying levels of deep and meaningful personal relationships 2. teams arouse feelings in their members for what the team stands for 3. teams provide stimulus and motivation to those in them 4. teams provide various forms of synergy 5. teams are always developing 6. teams have purposeful unifying activity 7. teams feel special to those in them. 1.4 The Emergence of the Workplace Team The emergence of the idea of workplace teams owes its origin to the groundbreaking studies at the GEC Hawthorne plant in Chicago by Elton Mayo in the 1920’s and 30’s. Before these studies, the concept of teamwork at work did not really exist. There is, for example, no mention of teamwork in Henri Fayol’s principles of management in the early 20th century. However, as a result of Mayo’s studies, it became clear that the team has a significant effect both on the productivity of people and how they feel about going to work. Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1.5 Teams Are Special The series of experiments conducted by Elton Mayo showed that when a group is made to feel special, through being singled out as a team, it can produce spectacular results. For example, • under observation, the assembly room team at Hawthorne was able to produce high output even though the room’s lighting had been reduced to a level equivalent to that of moonlight • under observation, the team’s output rose consistently, despite a steady worsening in conditions such as heating, lighting, meal breaks, working hours • under observation, the absentee rate of the observed team fell by 20%. 1.5.1 Team Needs Mayo’s experiments at the Hawthorne assembly plant foreshadowed the later work of Abraham Maslow who developed the model of motivational needs. In particular, the experiments showed that people are motivated when part of a group (their social needs) and when being recognized by others (their love needs). Here are 9 further ways in which a team can meet people’s needs: 1. achievement needs: “the team helps me to do more” 2. social needs: “in the team I can make friends” 3. recognition needs: “the team let me know how well I am doing” 4. spiritual needs: “there is a team spirit in our team which is very special to us” 5. learning needs: “I learn more from being in the team” 6. security needs: “safety in numbers” 7. basic needs: “I can earn more money as a member of the team” 8. leadership needs: “I am able to use my leadership skills as a member of the team” 9. freedom needs: “I can be myself when I am part of the team”. 1.6 Team Development While groups remain largely static, repeating what they do at a fixed or standardised level of performance, teams can grow and change and work towards an excellent level of performance. This development has 5 stages: Stage the team is just a collection of people with nothing in common other than nominal membership of the organisation Stage the team is a group of people with loose links, eg sharing a building, meeting occasionally Stage the team come together on work which has a purpose and a goal that the members all share Stage the team start to see themselves as a distinct unit with a life of its own. Stage the team consistently achieve things together and evolve. 1.7 The Laws of the Team Writer John Maxwell says there are a number of laws that are common to all teams. These include communications, shared values, goals, vision, leadership, challenge, investment in the team, feedback, high morale, and knowing one’s value. Teambuilding The Nature of Teams Here are the other 7 laws: a) The Law of Significance: one person is too small to achieve greatness b) The Law of the Niche: all players must add their own unique value c) The Law of the Chain: the team is as strong as its weakest link d) The Law of the Catalyst: all teams have players who make things happen e) The Law of the Bad Apple: rotten attitudes ruin a team f) The Law of the Bench: great teams have depth in reserve g) The Law of Accountability: teammates must be able to count on each other when it counts. 1.8 Synergy Synergy is the idea that “whole systems, such as living things, behave in ways that cannot be predicted from the behaviour of their individual parts,” (Buckminster Fuller). In other words, synergy is a natural coming together of “bits” which results in an unexpected and remarkable whole. The human body and the whole of the natural world are examples of synergy at work. Synergy is also: 1.9 • 2 and 2 = 5 • sodium and chlorine (both on their own harmful) = salt • Lennon and McCartney • Hewlett and Packard • Gilbert and Sullivan • Rolls and Royce • Marks and Spencer. Sam’s Wagon Sam’s bull pulled his wagon into a rut. Several of the wagons behind Sam stopped and demanded that Sam move his wagon immediately. Sam stepped off his wagon, scratched his chin and yelled “OK Blake!” The bull in front of the wagon didn’t budge. Sam yelled out again “Let her go Alma!” Still no movement. Then he yelled again, “Pull hard, Franklin!”. But still no movement. Then, finally, Sam yelled, “Now get going Hause!” and the bull pulled the wagon out of the rut. Confounded, one of the other wagon drivers turned to Sam and asked him why he didn’t call the bull by the right name in the first place. “Well,” Sam retorted, “if Hause thought he was gonna move that wagon out of that ditch all by himself we’d never have gotten out of here.” Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1.10 Key Points 1. Teams are the building blocks of organisational life. 2. A team is different from a group because it shares a common purpose. 3. In an age of global communications, the team can exist without ever meeting one another face to face. 4. Belonging to a team can satisfy people’s needs at a range of different levels. 5. The informal workplace team may be of more importance to how we work than the formal team. 6. The distinctive feature of teams is that they can grow and develop. Teambuilding Team Development 2 Team Development One of the key distinctions between groups and teams is that groups are static while teams are capable of growth. In a group, people are required to carry out laid-down duties. In a team, they work together and, if managed well, this working together enables them to develop as a social and performing unit. Here are features of how this growth happens. 2.1 The Natural Life of Teams One-off teams are those that are formed in response to special needs, such as a project, an event or a distinct piece of work. They are characterised by having finite life spans and clear objectives. According to research by Bruce Tuckman, one-off teams grow through 5 stages of development: 1. forming: the stage of coming together 2. storming: the stage of working out the team’s identity 3. norming: the stage of agreeing how the team will work 4. performing: the stage of harnessing what the team can do for the benefit of others 5. disbanding: the stage of completion. 2.2 Forming The forming stage of team development is when people come together for the first time. The atmosphere is wintry, cold and formal. Suspicion, distrust, caution and fear may exist. The main direction of interaction is between individuals and the team leader rather than between individuals themselves. Teams can get stuck at the forming stage if trust is low and there is no impetus for development. 2.3 Storming If the group is led to move beyond the forming stage, it enters the storming stage. This is when the group starts to wonder if they can gain something from being in the group. Instinctive feelings may arise about others in the group and there may Teambuilding Team Development be differences about exactly how to proceed and whose ideas will dominate. This is the sorting-out stage of the group’s growth and can be characterised by conflict and differences. 2.4 Norming If the group is led to move beyond the storming stage, it enters the norming stage with agreement on strategies, systems, and structures. People start to see a purpose bigger than their own and there are the beginnings of putting others’ needs ahead of one’s own within the framework of mutual gain. The norms may include a blueprint for how the team works together. 2.5 Performing If the group is led to move beyond the norming stage, the group start to see that, in working together, they can achieve something greater than the sum of their individual efforts. The focus now moves from sorting out their own issues to delivering something for the benefit of others, principally their customers or stakeholders. As the performing stage develops, the team become willing to take risks and face challenges that they would never have contemplated before. The team becomes a highly positive, can-do unit. 2.6 Disbandment It is tempting to keep a well-performing team going once it has reached a satisfactory level of performance. After all, this is what it was formed for. However, while some teams manage to prolong their success for some time, it is in the nature of organisational life for complacency and self-satisfaction to creep in once a team reaches a winning level. Then it becomes Please click the advert important to look to the future by disbanding and starting the growth cycle once more. www.job.oticon.dk Teambuilding Team Development 2.7 Helping Teams Grow The manager of one-off teams can work with the natural process of team development, intervening only to create the right conditions for growth within the team itself. • forming: emphasise the team’s identity and what binds them. Use “we”. Accept the team as a unit that can look after itself with your support. Build their confidence. Intervene only if the mix of individuals is not right. • storming: encourage openness. Promote a safe climate. Allow healthy conflict. Avoid rescuing the team. • norming: focus on what the team has in common. Link ideas. Seek interaction between the team members. • performing: ensure people have the skills to perform. Provide regular feedback. Celebrate success. • disbanding: manage change by looking ahead and moving on. If a group develops cohesively with the right mix of people and skills and is able to learn its way through difficult times, the group’s failures will eventually give way to team successes. This process is not a hit-and-miss one but an inevitable one of team development. The only variable is the time it takes to get there. 2.8 Key Points 1. All organisations change: some grow through phases of development, others decline and die. 2. Organisations need leaders to ensure that teams can grow and managers to ensure that teams can survive. 3. As an organisation moves through its phases of development, it requires different styles of managing. 4. One-off teams have similar phases of development as organisations and are also subject to crisis points. 5. A team’s development can be aided if the right interventions are made as it grows. 6. The general direction of team growth is towards interdependence and an outer focus. Teambuilding Teamwork 3 Teamwork There’s nothing like being in a great team. It is one of life’s greatest highs and one of the real pleasures of going to work. Unfortunately, though, for many, it is a dream to be longed for rather than a daily reality. In teams that don’t click, the experience is frustrating, painful, and stressful. And for the organization that allows such teams to exist, an unproductive waste of talent. But all that can change. With simple acts of teamwork, teams can change from being the source of our greatest anguish into being the source of our greatest joy. Here’s how. 3.1 Sharing If you want to measure the strength of your team, do a sharing audit. Simply record the number of acts of team sharing in any day. That’s sharing information, sharing ideas, sharing feelings, values and needs. Or simply just sharing being together. Your score will tell you just how together your group is. The most important feature of team sharing is goal sharing. If your people don’t even share the team goal, chances are you have a collection of individuals who happen to work near each other, not a team. When groups have a clear knowledge of the goal they’re working towards, and are committed to it, they become a team. “When xne key xn the typewriter dxesn’t wxrk prxperly, it’s like xne persxn in the team nxt playing their full part. It destrxys the whxle effect.” 3.2 Asking for Help Strong teams are strong because the individuals in it have different but complementary qualities. Sue’s a great detail person. John sees the big picture. Ron gets on with everyone. Jill is a loner. And so on. That means that when anyone has to do something they’re not particularly gifted at, they can turn to someone else in the team for help. In strong teams, you frequently hear people asking for help. In poor teams, it is considered a sign of weakness. 3.3 The 3 A’s Another audit you can do to find out if you have a team or just a bunch of individuals is the 3 A’s Audit. The 3 A’s stand for Appreciating, Accepting, and Acknowledging. They are the features of great teams and stand in contrast to the 3 C’s of poor teams: Criticising, Complaining, and Condemning. Accepting means letting people know they’re valued members of the team. Acknowledging means letting them know they belong. And appreciating means letting them know the team just wouldn’t be the same without them. Teambuilding Teamwork 3.3.1 Geese in Flight Geese fly in a V shape to protect members of the flock and to conserve energy. As the bird in front travels forward, it leaves a gap behind it called a vortex. This means that its following teammates have less air resistance to fly against. When the leader gets tired, it moves to the back of the V and all the geese move up the formation so that each of them gets a turn at leading. The formation allows all the geese to keep an eye on each other. This care and the technique of flying means that a flock of geese can cover 70% more distance than a bird flying on its own. Because each bird maximizes its strength, it is also much harder for predators to single out any bird for attack. This ensures the survival of the flock. 3.4 Valuing Others We all need to feel important. When we are valued, we take pride in who we are and what we do. Warren Bennis, professor of business administration at the University of Southern California, describes his campus as “a dry, crack-infested part of LA”. But, he says, every morning is a delight because the grounds of the campus are so fresh and well-kept. He adds: “It makes a big difference to me. But I wonder if anyone has reminded the gardeners of the importance of their work.” Have you told someone in your team lately how much you value them? 3.5 Giving Feedback Strong teams are defined by the amount of interaction there is between team members. When interaction is low, so is team morale. One essential type of interaction in strong teams is feedback. It can take 3 forms: Teambuilding Teamwork a) positive feedback given by anyone in the team to someone else when they do something that benefits the whole team b) constructive feedback given by anyone in the team to help someone else in the team perform better c) requested feedback from anyone in the team when they want someone to help them with their performance. When there is a constant exchange of these kinds of feedback, given skillfully without criticism and rancour, the team cannot help but grow and develop. 3.6 Building on Others When management consultant Peter Honey explored the differences between teams and groups, he found that one of the key differences was that teams pick up on each others’ ideas and build, whereas groups don’t. This feature is also known as convergent listening. Team members are intently interested in what others have to say. Rather than let it go by without comment, they take something from it and develop it into something worthwhile. 3.6.1 Convergent Thinking In a discussion in which divergent listening predominates, people’s views go off into space and are lost forever. In convergent listening, the team captures everything that is said. They look for and find connections and links between what one person says, what another has said, what has gone before and what might come after. This is because they spend more time listening to others than they do to themselves. Instead of pushing their own viewpoint, as happens in divergent listening, they seek to add to what others say, link it to other viewpoints and so build on it. “That’s an interesting idea, Ann; it ties in with what Jimmy was just saying. It doesn’t go as far as Ron’s point. Maybe we should hear if anyone else can bridge the gap...” 3.7 Taking Risks The team’s unique capacity for support comes to the fore when the team takes risks and navigates its way through change. Risks and change occur in the natural development of teams but are also an unavoidable feature of the modern world of work. Teams can support each other when changes are imposed from outside. The strength of a good team also means that when change is undertaken from within the team, the burden of risk is shared if it all goes wrong. Teams allow us to take greater and bigger risks than we could afford to take alone. 3.8 A Friendly Climate A friendly climate is the result of team morale. Morale is a state of mind that radiates confidence in people. It happens by itself when everyone feels sure of their place in the team. Nobody is anxious to prove themselves to anyone else. Nobody shows off. Nobody seeks to be better than anyone else. When this happens, individual egos disappear, and team spirit emerges.